Coen continues to say Hunter will play both ways

Hunter is working his way back from a 2025 knee injury and is expected to be a full go for the beginning of training camp, according to Wolfe. The 23-year-old is still going to play both sides of the ball, though Wolfe stated Hunter can be “unleashed” as a starter on defense and “the goal is to eventually have him play nearly all the snaps on defense in a particular game.” The Jaguars seem to like Hunter much better as a cornerback but he will still play offense with his wide receiver snaps fluctuating depending on the game. Hunter is attending meetings for both sides of the ball and will presumably practice both sides come training camp. He is expected to be healthy and ready to go by the time Jags veterans report to training camp in late July.

Ensuring the listening audience knew he was not a doctor, Coen said during a Tuesday radio interview that he’s unsure as to when Hunter, recovering from a 2025 knee injury, will be able to join live reps at Jaguars offseason practices. Noting Hunter’s bulked-up upper body, Coen said Hunter would continue to grind tape and learn offensive and defensive schemes on screen while recovering. Coen described Hunter’s injury as a “minor setback for a major comeback.” Jaguars beat writers have been adamant that Hunter will play both sides of the ball once again in 2026 after recording 28 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown over seven games as a rookie. He would likely profile as the team’s third or fourth pass-catching option when healthy.

Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Gladstone also noted that he expects Hunter’s usage at cornerback to rise. Hunter played 324 snaps on offense last year compared to just 164 on defense. If we’re taking Gladstone at face value, the reports of Hunter’s demise at wide receiver have been greatly exaggerated. Hunter appeared to be on the precipice of a breakout before going down with a season-ending knee injury. The team talked up his abilities as a receiver days before he posted an 8-101-1 receiving line versus the Rams. Jacksonville’s crowded receiving room may prevent him from being an every-down receiver this year, but he should still hold some fantasy value in his second season.

NFL reporters and commentators who have suggested the Jaguars will shift Hunter to play mostly cornerback in 2026 and beyond are “completely misrepresenting” comments made by general manager James Gladstone and other front office officials, Shipley said. A lack of “media literacy,” Shipley said, has led league observers to incorrectly believe Hunter’s time as a full-time wideout are over. “At zero point have the Jaguars ever once indicated he will not play both ways, just as he did last year,” Shipley said, adding that head coach Liam Coen has “embraced the disrespect” of reporters who intentionally misinterpret what Jacksonville’s front office says. “He will just play more cornerback.” Hunter in 2025 averaged four receptions and 42 yards per game before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 7. Hunter’s offseason and preseason usage could provide some clues as to how he will be deployed in 2026. Those discounting his role as an every-down receiver may be proven wrong if Shipley is right.

This isn’t the first time it has been reported that Hunter will serve primarily as a corner in 2026. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported similar back in February, but Hunter is still expected to have a minor role on offense. The Jaguars are three deep at receiver with Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers all on the roster. The decision to move Hunter to corner, where he allowed just nine catches on 15 targets while appearing on 120 coverage snaps, addresses a more pressing need for the Jags, who lost starter Greg Newsome earlier this offseason in free agency.

Hunter is recovering from season-ending knee surgery that cut his rookie season short. Liam Coen told reporters a few weeks ago that Hunter was “well ahead of where he’s supposed to be.” That’s a good sign, but it does sound like the Jags will be ramping Hunter up slowly during the offseason. That could prevent him from expanding his role as a receiver early in the regular season, though training camp will be more telling on that front. For now, fantasy managers should take a cautious approach with the NFL’s only two-way player.

Hunter underwent surgery to repair the LCL in his right knee after suffering a non-contact knee injury in practice. Coen didn’t put a timeline on when we could see the two-way star back in action, but did say there’s “an unspoken understanding” that the team needs help at corner, and that Hunter is expected to help more on the defensive side of the ball. Given the current state of the Jaguars’ receiving corps, there’s certainly no need to force Hunter on the field on offense outside of select packages, but we’ll get a better sense of how much action he could see on offense once camp starts up.

Per Wolfe, the Jaguars believe Hunter can be an “elite” cornerback, while still being “an impact player” on offense. For fantasy purposes, this is unfortunate. Hunter may be stuck rotating in as a contributor in three-wide receiver sets, which would make him frustratingly unreliable, though head coach Liam Coen will likely try to scheme up ways to get the ball in his hands. On the plus side, Wolfe said Hunter will be “full-go” by Week 1. The Jaguars are reportedly expected to let one of their free agent cornerbacks, Montaric Brown or Greg Newsome, walk in free agency.

Coen adds that Hunter was “bouncing around” the weight room the other day, celebrating the young player’s mental resilience as he recovers from a torn LCL. Coen also echoed general manager James Gladstone’s recent messaging regarding Hunter’s 2026 usage, indicating that the team’s positional needs will, at least partially, influence their decision-making regarding Hunter’s deployment. The coaching staff will remain “fluid” in assessing his offensive and defensive practice schedule this offseason. Whether Hunter takes on a fantasy-relevant role next season is currently unknown.

This would, obviously, be bad for his fantasy football value. Whether it’s the right move or not for the Jaguars is open to interpretation. It looked like Hunter had just started to scratch the surface of his talent before his season-ending knee injury. But with Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and Brian Thomas Jr. seemingly locked in as the team’s three main receivers, this role makes a lot of sense for how things currently stand in Jacksonville. Hunter’s status as an offensive player will be something we spend a lot of time monitoring this offseason, but if he only has a package of plays, it’d be hard to endorse him as more than a WR4/WR5 flier in redraft leagues.